Dragon Breaks The Void 38 Sorrow

Van walked into an open courtyard. There were green gra.s.s and healthy robust trees swaying in the wind. Van walked to the middle and plopped himself down. He sat there lazing about, enjoying the sounds of nature.

Just when he was about to stand up again and leave, he started to hear the sounds of a zither coming from the other side of the trees. It was calm and soothing and seemed perfect. Van could feel his Qi stirring from the delicate notes that seemed to dance on the wind.

He started to hum the tune before he remembered something. He pulled out a hand-carved wooden flute from his sleeves. When Van was little, he had loved to play the flute for his two sisters. They would also love to listen to his music. But alas, the many troubles in his life lead to him dropping the art of music.

The flute he was currently holding was carved by the elder of his two sisters. They loved to hear him play his music. So, on his 7th Birthday, she had gifted him a flute carved from the tree in the middle of their garden.

He could still remember her cute little angelic face as she ran up to him. She had thrust it into his hands and gave him a radiant smile. He could still remember her innocent words.

"Happy 7th Birthday Van!"

Sadly, it wasn't too long after that the rule of the Nguyen Dynasty fell. But, putting the past in its place, Van decided to keep a positive att.i.tude and continue on. He continued to play his flute. A mournful tune filled the air. It was equal to the embodiment of all his sorrows. As the beautiful calm melody mixed with the mournful tune, it formed a strangely beautiful symphony.

The sunlight reflected itself off of Van's tears as they slowly dripped down his face.

"Its been a while since I've reopened myself up to those feelings."

He placed down his flute and let the tears flow. He lifted his face to the skies and continued to reflect upon days long past. Van listened to the rustling of the trees in the wind and the swaying of the gra.s.s. They reminded him of the times that they would play in the royal courtyard. He could still see his elder brother tackling him and rolling around in the gra.s.s with his sisters as an audience.

Suddenly, Van could hear soft steps that came from the other side of the tree he had leaned against. He broke from his trance and turned towards the source of the disturbance.

A girl wearing a pure white dress had walked in on him and was holding a zither. She held herself as if she were a fairy maiden that had just descended from the heavens. Van was temporarily mesmerized by her sudden appearance. Van's trance broke as she continued to advance towards him. She eventually halted before him and sat next to him down on the gra.s.s. Van watched her silently, looking for any signs of her intentions. When he saw that they weren't ill, he followed her gaze and stared off into the distance. He watched as the clouds drifted by.

If only I were a cloud, I would have no worries... I wouldn't have to bear all this pain.

Streams of tears continued to pour from him as he recollected all of his past. Before, he would take it on one moment at a time, but now he decided to let go of all his mental suppression. Van felt a soft cloth as it was pressed into his hand. He turned his head slightly and found that the girl next to him had pa.s.sed him her handkerchief.

He gratefully took it and wiped his eyes.

"Thank you."

The girl stared at him blankly before replying sincerely.

"It's only natural. We as human beings rely on each other to keep going."

"It might seem natural to you, but in this world, it's harder to find one such as this than to find a phoenix feather or reverse scale."

Van smiled. He wanted to become friends with this girl. He felt that he could trust her. Besides, if she could casually wander in the City Lord Palace's Garden, he knew that she was trusted by his teacher.

She stared at him blankly before standing up.

"Hey! Where're you going?"

Van stood up after her, getting ready to chase after her and return the napkin if she took off. Instead, she started to climb the tree. She hopped from branch to branch until she made it to a nice large one with a spot that was perfect for sitting on. She picked the fruits from above her and started to munch on them casually. Van walked to the trunk of the tree and started to climb up also. He b.u.mped his head on a branch and looked up in response.

His face turned a deep shade of red as he got an eyeful. He immediately put his head down and tried to get the rest of the way up without looking up. When he made it up, she had already started on her 3rd spiritual fruit. They were shaped like pears but had a sweet tangy taste to them. Van sat down next to her and grabbed fruit from above, before taking a large bite.

The two just sat there and watched the trees and the gra.s.s sway in the wind. Then, the girl suddenly turned towards Van and started to speak up once more.

"You saw it didn't you."

Van's face had just turned back to its previous color, but it once again flushed.

"I didn't see anything."

He said as he looked to the side.

"Don't do it again. I will kill you."

"I swear it was just an accident!"

"I know and that's why you aren't dead."

Van smiled wryly. They continued to sit there and stare off into the distance until Van started to think about what she had just said.

Wait. She said that she could kill me. Could she really kill me though? I'm at the 1st Stage of Inner Discovery.

Van had an idea pop into his head and released his divine sense to check her cultivation. His eyebrows raised in shock.

He couldn't even detect a hint of an aura from her, but she was obviously a cultivator or she wouldn't be able to casually munch on these rare spiritual fruits.

There was only one explanation. She was at least at the 5th Stage of Inner Discovery.